In France, in 2026, there are 350,000 unhoused, compared with 143,000 in 2012. That number has continued to rise over the years, against an increasingly alarming backdrop – almost one million people without a home; 2.8 million on the waiting list for social housing, with their chances at an all-time low; and energy poverty forcing people to live in inhumane conditions, both in summer and winter.

It’s a striking contrast to the joyful anticipation of Christmas. Rosa Paris’ campaign for French NGO, Foundation For Housing (Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés), is perfectly timed.

With no voiceover, Rosa Paris has chosen a radical and sensory approach to storytelling. A cold, clinical master shot slowly follows the zip of a body bag as it closes over a young woman’s body. Interspersed with this shot are first-person flashbacks, plunging viewers into her daily life and the violence she endures: an infected wound, a battered body, hunger, exhaustion. The campaign message hits hard. Life on the streets kills.

By removing the distance between viewers and the reality they are witnessing, the film goes beyond showing hardship from the outside – it makes them experience it from within, cancelling indifference.

“Although the severity of the housing crisis is widely recognised across institutions, housing is neglected by public authorities, which too often forget that it is a basic necessity. But beyond political leaders, everyone can help address a terrible social problem we no longer want to see: in a country like France, people die on the streets, including children. Life expectancy on the streets is 49, compared with 83 for the population as a whole,” stated Yves Colin, communications director, Foundation for Housing.

The campaign launched on TV in France on November 2, followed by nationwide out-of-home advertising and a special installation at the Saint-Lazare station in Paris from November 13. The key visuals were photographed by Aurélien Chauvaud. The campaign will also include digital out-of-home advertising, supported by radio, press and digital activity to maximise the message’s reach.

The hero film was directed by JODEB. He stated, “It’s difficult to make people feel concerned about people experiencing homelessness. And unfortunately, these campaigns often rely on making audiences feel guilty and stirring up strong emotions. We took a risk with this film: there is no voiceover telling you what to think. For me, its strength lies not in what you understand at first glance, which is fairly direct and clear, but in what comes afterwards, when you start wondering what just happened to you.

“Are we really allowed to make films like this? Is it right or wrong? Is it real or not? Whatever the answer, it is impossible not to think about this person, whether you feel she has been humanised or dehumanised before your eyes. I like that this film makes us question not only the subject, but also the way it is presented to us.”

Credits

Client: FOUNDATION FOR HOUSING
Communications Director: Yves Colin

Creative Agency: ROSA PARIS
Co-Founders: Jean-Patrick Chiquiar, Gilles Fichteberg & Jean-François Sacco
Creative Director: Gilles Fichteberg
Copywriter: Sébastien Mertens
Art Director: Sébastien Mertens
Assistant Art Director: Mathis Ragonneau
Managing Partner: Dorothée Mianet
Account Executive: Sofiann Boutaïb
Strategic Planner: Alix Galinier
Head of Production: Elodie Jonquille
Communications Director: Lauren Weber
Communications Executive: Eugénie Briend

Production & Post+Production: LA/PAC
Director: Jodeb
Producer: Éric Lipchitz
Director of Photography: Kristof Brandl
Make-up Artists: Stephanie Orillard & Cyril Hipaux
Photographer: Aurélien Chauvaud

Sound & Music: SCHMOOZE (Jodeb, Jean-Luc Verschelde & Sylvain Rety)